Lewisham Council's handling of complaints has been criticised, with a significant number of service requests
being misclassified as formal complaints, inflating official figures and distorting escalation rates. The council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee reviewed the Draft Annual Complaints Report for 2025/26, highlighting systemic issues in complaint handling processes.
Lewisham Council defines a corporate complaint in line with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's (LGSCO) Complaint Handling Code as: An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by Lewisham Council, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents.
The LGSCO Code emphasizes the importance of a shared understanding of what constitutes a service request versus a complaint. The council aims to resolve most issues through normal service delivery processes but has formal processes for when these are not sufficient. The distinction is crucial because service requests are not considered complaints, though they may contain expressions of dissatisfaction. The council aims to deal with service requests before a formal complaint is made. Many complaints are rejected because they do not meet the definition of a complaint, are service requests, are over 12 months old, have an alternative right of appeal, or are outside the council's jurisdiction. The council is working to improve the triage and routing of contacts to ensure accurate classification.
The report revealed that the council failed to meet its target for responding to complaints within timescales, with only 87.5% of Stage One responses and 56% of Stage Two responses being timely. The council's plan to improve timeliness includes enhanced training for staff on case management processes, response writing, tone, quality, and completeness. Efforts are also being made to improve triage and routing, and a hub-and-spoke model is being developed for clearer accountability and more consistent case handling.
Furthermore, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) investigated 52 complaints about the council, with an alarming 87% upheld rate. The council paid out £49,185.24 in financial remedies in response to upheld complaints during the 2025/26 period, an increase from £31,600 in 2024/25, indicating an upward trend in these payouts.
Key areas for improvement identified include the triage and classification of incoming contacts, ensuring accurate distinction between service requests and formal complaints. The quality and timeliness of responses, particularly at Stage Two, remain a concern, as does the effective learning from complaint data to drive service improvements. The dispersed nature of the complaints function across different directorates and concerns about adequate resource allocation were also discussed.
The Place directorate received the most Stage One complaints, with issues like 'missed collections' and PCNs (Penalty Charge Notices) making up over a quarter of complaints. However, the report clarifies that many of these are likely service requests misclassified as complaints. The Housing directorate also features prominently in LGSCO upheld decisions, particularly concerning Homelessness and Allocations. The Education & Children's Services directorate also has a significant number of upheld LGSCO decisions, particularly related to SEN Provision and EHC plans, and delays in statutory complaints procedures.
Lewisham Council is addressing the dispersed nature of the complaints function
through the Corporate Enquiries Transformation Project. Key steps include exploring a hub-and-spoke model to create a clearer, more consistent approach with defined responsibilities and standard processes. The project also aims for central monitoring and escalation, drawing on good practice from other local authorities, and developing a stronger corporate framework to improve governance, accountability, and consistency. A dedicated workstream on iCasework, Data and Reporting will develop dashboards and reporting tools for better visibility of trends, themes, and performance, and establish clear ownership for generating learning from cases. Centralizing some aspects of the complaints function is also expected to improve triaging, governance, and adherence to complaint handling codes.
Councillor Claire Wills, chairing the meeting, noted that communication and consistency were overarching themes requiring attention. Recommendations included making more information publicly available, ensuring projects are joined up across the council, and providing enhanced training for staff and members to foster confidence in addressing issues promptly. Enhanced staff training for officers handling complaints and enquiries will be delivered through October, with monthly reviews thereafter. A dedicated session for Members is scheduled for September 23rd. The Corporate Enquiries Transformation Project aims to proactively publish information where appropriate and explore making more timely information publicly available on the website, though a specific timeline for this broader improvement is not detailed. Reviewing operating arrangements and the hub-and-spoke model is part of the next phase of the project, with design informed by good practice from other local authorities, but specific implementation timelines are not provided. Improving response quality and updating templates is ongoing from September.
Read the full report in the Public reports pack for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 22nd September 2026.